Torrisi Bar & Restaurant
Nolita's Italian-American soul with serious cellar depth
Nolita · New York · American, Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Torrisi lands like a love letter to Italy, written by someone who clearly spent time in Burgundy too. It's thick with intention — Piedmont and Tuscany holding court, Champagne waiting in the wings, and a few left-field picks that tell you someone on staff is actually paying attention. This isn't a list assembled by a purchasing committee; it feels personal.
Selection Deep Dive
Four hundred to six hundred bottles is a serious commitment, and Torrisi earns it. Piedmont is the obvious strength — Giacomo Conterno, Bartolo Mascarello, Bruno Giacosa, and Gaja all present, which is about as deep a Barolo and Barbaresco bench as you'll find in Manhattan outside of a dedicated wine bar. Tuscany runs equally deep with Sassicaia, Soldera Case Basse, and Biondi-Santi Brunello giving the list genuine cellar credibility. The French side punches above its weight too — Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée are on there, which means this list isn't just Italian nostalgia with French garnish. Where it's less adventurous is beyond those two countries, but honestly, with this level of depth in Italy and Burgundy, the gaps don't sting.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five pours is an unusually generous by-the-glass program, and the quality level is legitimately high — Vietti Barolo Castiglione, Domaine Dujac Morey St Denis, and Gaja Barbaresco by the glass is not something most restaurants even attempt. The Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé and Ruinart Blanc de Blancs round out a Champagne-by-glass offering that holds up well for a food-focused restaurant. At $28–$42 a pour, you're paying New York restaurant prices, but you're also drinking wines that rarely see the light of day in glass format.
Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2020 — $28/glass
Vietti's Castiglione is a proper Barolo — structured, expressive, Nebbiolo doing what Nebbiolo does — and getting it by the glass at this price point in a Wine Spectator Best of Award restaurant is a genuine win. Order two.
Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
Most tables at Torrisi are reaching for the Barolo or the Burgundy, which means Valentini's Trebbiano d'Abruzzo sits there largely undisturbed. That's a mistake. Edoardo Valentini made wines that aged like white Burgundy and tasted like nothing else from central Italy — this is one of the most underrated white wines on any serious Italian list, and most diners walk right past it.
Gaja Barbaresco 2020 (by the glass)
At $42 a glass, Gaja Barbaresco is technically a thrill — but Gaja's retail on a current vintage already runs high, and the pour markup compounds fast. If you want Gaja, come on a Monday when the bottle is half price. Forty-two dollars for a single glass of a wine this young, without the full bottle context, is a tough sell.
Domaine Dujac Morey St Denis 2021 + Linguine with clam sauce
Dujac's Morey St Denis brings earthy red fruit and a silky, almost saline edge that cuts right through the brininess of the clam sauce without overpowering it. It's an unexpected pairing — Burgundy with pasta — but the acidity and the sea salt in the dish find each other fast. Trust it.
Monday — Half-price wine bottles on Mondays — applies to the full list, making those Barolo and Burgundy bottles significantly more approachable.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Torrisi is the rare restaurant where the wine list is genuinely as ambitious as the kitchen, and Monday's half-price bottle program makes it one of the best wine nights in the city. Go hungry, go thirsty, and for the love of everything, go on a Monday.
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